There are different constructions for body protection devices that are useful in sports activities where there is potential for bodily injury. A common element of conventional equipment is a core of hard material corresponding approximately to the shape of the area to be protected. The hard material core may consist of plastic, metal or a rigid, hardened plastic foam. Another common feature of this equipment is the padding that is provided on both sides of the hard material core. In state of the art equipment this padding part consists of a foam with closed pores or with open pores. Another type of equipment incorporates a film with bubble-shaped air pockets as is commonly used in pressure-resistant packing foil. These pockets are typically installed in the equipment so as to face the body. These air pockets may be used instead of or in addition to the foam padding.
The inner side of such a body protection device is usually supplied with a lining. The outer side consists of the outer material of the sports garment such as a polyamide fabric or a textile material coated with polyester.
The hard material cores are intended to fend off impacts, shocks, punches and the like. The inner padding parts serve to absorb the force exerted by an impact, protect the wearer's body and at the same time increase the wear comfort of the uniform incorporating such protectors. The padding at the outer side of the hard material absorbs blows dealt to the above-mentioned body protectors and protects athletes colliding with other athletes from being hurt by bumping against the hard core of the body protection device.
When playing rigorous sports such as ice hockey, the players sweat heavily as they get very hot. A large surface of the uniform is provided with body protectors in order to protect the players against impacts and blows as well as possible. Since the hard material cores of the body protectors are impermeable to water and water vapor, perspiration moisture collects under the protectors, entailing an unpleasant amount of trapped heat.
When an open-pored foam is used at the inside of the hard material core, this foam absorbs the sweat emitted by the athlete's body. As the perspiration moisture emitted by one player during an activity may amount to several liters of water, the amount of perspiration trapped within the open-pored foam may be enormous. This not only detracts from the wear comfort of the sports uniform but also increases their weight.
When the padded parts of the protectors consist of a foam with closed pores, they will not be soaked in sweat. In this case, however, the whole sweat quantity collects on the surface of the player's body or runs down his body inside of the body protectors of the uniform.
Conventional protective gear for use in sports activities are thus very unpleasant to wear.
There is a need to provide body padding protectors of considerably increased wear comfort.